Jpn. J. Infect. Dis., 58, 180-183, 2005
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Short Communication
Evaluation of Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis Analysis Performed at Selected Prefectural Institutes of Public Health for Use in PulseNet Japan
Masakado Matsumoto, Yasumoto Suzuki, Hideki Nagano1, Jun Yatsuyanagi2, Hajime Kurosawa3, Kazuhiro Kobayashi4, Koji Yamaoka5, Kazumi Horikawa6, Jun Kudaka7, Jun Terajima8, Haruo Watanabe8 and Yutaka Miyazaki*
Aichi Prefectural Institute of Public Health, Nagoya 462-8576,
1Department of Epidemiology, Hokkaido
Institute of Public Health, Sapporo 060-0819, 2Department
of Microbiology, Akita Prefectural Institute of Public Health,
Akita 010-0874, 3Department of
Health Science, Gunma Prefectural Institute of Public Health,
Maebashi 371-0052, 4Department
of Public Health, Osaka Prefectural Institute of Public Health,
Osaka 537-0025, 5Department of
Bioscience, Hiroshima City Institute of Public Health, Hiroshima
733-8650, 6Department of Health
Science, Fukuoka Institute of Health and Environmental Sciences,
Dazaifu 818-0135, 7Department
of Hygiene Science, Okinawa Prefectural Institute of Public Health
and Environments, Osato 901-1202 and 8Department
of Bacteriology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases,
Tokyo 162-8640, Japan
(Received June 11, 2004. Accepted March 11, 2005)
*Corresponding author: Mailing address: Aichi Prefectural Institute
of Public Health, 7-6 Nagare, Tsuji-machi, Kita-ku, Nagoya 462-8576,
Japan.
Tel: +81-52-910-5604, Fax: +81-52-913-3641, E-mail: yutaka_miyazaki@pref.aichi.lg.jp
SUMMARY: In order to evaluate reliability of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis performed at different prefectural public health institutes (PHIs) for use in the PulseNet Japan surveillance system to detect enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157, we compared the results of PFGE-typing of 14 selected strains of O157 performed at 8 selected PHIs to evaluate the reliability of different experimental protocols used in these PHIs. PFGE was performed for 14 strains for which there were 14 PFGE types in 3 PHIs, and 13 PFGE types in 5 PHIs by using their own protocols and/or those of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID). PFGE fingerprints from 5 out of the 8 PHIs were successfully genotyped for all of the 14 strains. A PFGE fingerprint from one PHI was successfully genotyped when the NIID pulsing protocol was used, but was not genotyped when the PHI's own protocols were used. PFGE fingerprints from 2 PHIs failed to be genotyped for one each of the strains. The cause of this genotyping failure was considered to be inappropriate PFGE pulsing protocols or inadequate digestion of chromosomal DNA. These results suggest that PFGE protocols should be standardized for the establishment of PulseNet Japan.